


Stressed Out

by TheSwordLesbian



Series: Life is Strange One-shots [4]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: 21Pirates, 21Pirates!AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Rewind Time Powers (Life is Strange), Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Band Fic, F/F, Inspired by Fanart, Love Confessions, Secret Identity, chasefield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:22:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25680529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSwordLesbian/pseuds/TheSwordLesbian
Summary: The famous band Twenty Øne Pirates finally reveals their faces and Victoria has to come to terms with the fact that the singer she has long admired is actually her dorky neighbor from across the hall.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield & Chloe Price, Maxine "Max" Caulfield & Victoria Chase, Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Victoria Chase, Rachel Amber/Chloe Price
Series: Life is Strange One-shots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723183
Comments: 19
Kudos: 86





	Stressed Out

**Author's Note:**

> Hai everyone!  
> I have another one-shot hot off the presses for you.
> 
> This time its the 21Pirates Band AU created by the amazingly talented [Todd](https://tovanori.tumblr.com/)  
> If you would like to read their headcanons for how this AU works you can find them [Here](https://tovanori.tumblr.com/post/157312990493/obligatory-famous-band-au-21pirates-au-the-band) and [ Here](https://tovanori.tumblr.com/post/157620186853/21-pirates-au-ideas-and-headcanons-masterlist)
> 
> And this story takes place directly after [This Vine that Chloe and Max made](https://tovanori.tumblr.com/post/157537031973/someone-asked-for-the-face-reveal-vine-and-this-is)

Max watched nervously as Chloe put the finishing touches on their latest vine before sending it out. The two had gotten the idea to do their long-awaited face reveal in the form of a cheesy viral video. Of course it meant digging through Joyce’s attic for Chloe’s old Hawt Dawg Man costume but her best friend convinced her it would be hilariously worth it. Though Max still wasn’t entirely sure _“What if this is the wrong move? What if we lose fans because I’m just this weird hipster girl and not as cool as Cap-”_

“Alright…” Chloe briefly shook Max from her train of self-deprecation when she plopped down onto the couch next to her. “We just gotta add in all the band tags annnnnnd posted! Man, it's always trippy how fast people will like things on the internet, right Super Max?” When she didn’t get a reply the blue-haired girl looked over at her friend. She could see how nervous the singer was, bouncing her leg anxiously, staring into space, twirling her phone around in her fingers. Chloe leaned over and bumped her shoulder against her friend’s “You know if you keep bouncing like that you’re gonna wear a hole in the floor.”

“Uh what?” Max shook her head, trying to get out of her thoughts. “Oh, sorry Chloe, just… thinking.”

The drummer turned to lean against the arm of the couch kicking her legs out across her friend’s knees. “What’s up Mad Max? What’s got you so… _stressed out_?”

Max narrowed her eyes before snickering at Chloe’s use of one of their song titles. “Haha Chloe you’re soooooo clever.”

Chloe let out a faux scoff, “Well obviously. How do you think I’m such a hit with all the ladies?”

“Do you mean Coupons?” Max giggled

“Okay look,” she pointed her finger at the brunette in a mock threat. “You’ve GOT to stop calling Rachel that. But seriously Max what’s got you so worked up?”

Max let out a long sigh and leaned back into the couch. “What if this is a bad idea Chlo?”

“What? The face reveal?”

“Yeah.“ she ran her hands through her hair. “What if like… I dunno…”

Chloe waited for her to answer but she just left it there. “Are you worried people won’t like us anymore now that we’re not just Captain and Davy?”

Max seemed to shrink in on herself. “Yeah… maybe…”

The blue-haired girl looked down at her phone again before turning it around to show her friend. “Well, considering we posted this three minutes ago and it's already one of our most liked posts I’d say that’s probably not the case.”

“Wait?! What??” Max grabbed at Chloe’s phone “Wowsers. Sixty thousand likes in three minutes?”

“But besides that.” Chloe reached up to put a hand on her best friend’s shoulder. “Just because our faces are out now doesn’t make us any less Captain and Davy. I mean, fuck’s sake Max, last week you sang in front of a sold out stadium in LA. YOU did that.” she poked the singer in the chest for emphasis. “Not a mask. You. You’re still Captain.”

Max smiled at her best friend before leaning over to hug her tight. “Thanks Chloe. You’re awesome.”

Chloe hugged her back before letting go and leaning back again. “Honestly the biggest difference between us wearing the masks and not, is that we’ll both sweat hella less on stage now.” 

The brunette giggled at that before agreeing “Oh my dog yeah! My mask is like, drenched after a show.”

Just then Chloe’s phone buzzed and she got a smug grin on her face before looking back at Max. “Besides you’ve got bigger things to worry about than self doubt.” 

As if on cue Max’s phone started vibrating. Looking down at the caller id, her breath caught in her throat and she looked back at her friend and panicked. “It’s Victoria… Do you think she saw the video?”

The blue-haired girl scoffed. “Dude she’s like TOPs biggest fan, I’m SURE she has notifications on for like, ALL our social media.”

“Oh shit. Chloe what do I do?!” 

Chloe laughed. “You better answer it before it goes to voicemail and she gets pissed, and put it on speaker.”

“Why on speaker??” Max whined at her.

“Just do it, quick!”

The singer answered the phone and did her best to put on a casual tone. “H-hey Victo-”

“MAXINE FUCKING CAULFIELD!” Victoria shrieked through the phone.

Max was silent while Chloe was trying to stifle her laughter and not fall off the couch Quickly she mustered up a response. “Uhh yeah?”

“Where the fuck are you?!?” 

Max looked at Chloe for help and the drummer just mouthed back to tell her. “I’m at Chloe’s apartment. Why what’s u-” The phone beeped. “She hung up… Chloe what do I do???” 

The blue haired girl just shrugged and stood up before walking towards the front door to grab her jacket. “Don’t let her run all over you or wreck my pad.”

“What do you mean??? Where are you going?”

Chloe grabbed her keys off the hook and held up her phone to show a text from Rachel. “Well the Queen Bee just left my girlfriend stranded at the cafe they were at so I’m going to go pick her up.”

Max stood up off the couch gesturing wildly, clearly not as amused at the situation as her friend was. “So you’re going to leave me here and go hang out with Coupons while Victoria’s on her way over to, I dunno, grind me into a paste??”

The taller girl took her cigarette out before gesturing at her friend. “Dude you seriously have to stop calling her that.” she said as she strode out the door.

Max shouted after her. “She’s in my phone contacts as that Chloe! So it’s permanent!”

A blue head of hair poked back in the door to say. “Have fun with Icky Vicky. Don’t let her, how did you say it? ‘grind you into a paste’ too hard.” She waggled her eyebrows for emphasis as she leaned back out.

The singer threw a pillow at the door as it closed. “Ugh!! You’re the worst!” Max flopped back onto the couch dragging her hands down her face.

Five minutes later a loud banging knock alerted her to Victoria’s arrival. Max exhaled a long sigh and stood up walking towards the door. _“I guess this is my fate. Probably going to get mauled to death. Maybe I’ll be like those musicians that become cult icons when they die.”_ She reached out to grab the doorknob, amidst Victoria’s incessant banging. She paused momentarily to collect her thoughts. _“Okay. This will be okay. Like Chloe said, don’t let her railroad me. I can do this. I’m still Captain. I’m just max too.”_ Complete with her mental pep talk she turned the knob and jumped back as the door flew open. “Victoria I-”

“Max Fucking Caulfield!” The blonde exclaimed, storming in. She was backing the shorter girl further and further into the room. “A fucking Vine??”

Max held her hands up in defense as she was backed fully into a wall. “Victoria wait.”

Victoria crossed her arms and scowled down at the brunette. “I lived across from you for four fucking years and now I find out that my dorky neighbor is actually the singer of my favorite band, and one of the most famous rockbands on the charts right now, from a fucking VINE??”

Feeling a bit cornered Max took a deep breath to collect herself _“I can do this. Just be brave, like Captain would.”_ She dropped her hands to her side and looked up at the blonde. “Victoria I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Chloe and I promised our parents that we would stay undercover until I graduated.”

“But why not tell me?? We’re friends right?” That last question came out a lot more fragile than she probably meant for it to.

Max heard her voice break and looked Victoria in the eyes, suddenly understanding that all of this rage and frustration was coming from a place of hurt rather than actual anger. She was understandably upset that Max had spent the last few years lying to her. “Yeah Tori, we’re friends.” She tried to make her voice as warm and calming as she could.

She turned away and Max could swear she saw a blush on her face, from the nickname most likely. “If we’re friends why didn’t you tell me?” The blonde’s anger had subsided and she was basically whining in frustration now.

The brunette shrugged. “I mean we weren’t always friends.” Victoria half-turned back to look at her. “At first I was just the hipster loser that got on your nerves constantly. And then when we started to get closer, I guess it was just easier to keep up the lie. Sorry Tori.”

Victoria just stared coldly at Max for a moment before letting out a sigh and stalking over to flop onto the couch in frustration. 

Max walked over and sat down beside her. “So… are we cool?”

Victoria just rolled her head to look and max and narrowed her eyes at the singer. “No Max, we are definitely not just _cool_.” She groaned and drug her hands down her face. “Ugggggh! This is insane! I’m having to rethink the last four plus years of knowing you and stew over every single interaction we’ve ever had.”

The shorter girl just shrugged “I mean, it's not that big a deal.”

The blonde scoffed. “Not that big a deal!? Max. I’ve teased you about playing Twenty One Pirates songs. I’ve ‘introduced’” she gestured with air quotes “you to new TOP albums when they released. And… oh my god…” She clasped her hands over her mouth in shock.

“What?”

Victoria looked at Max mortified. “I invited you to your own concert last year.”

Max just laughed remembering that. “Yeah you did didn’t you.”

The taller girl just groaned and flopped over on her side, hiding her face in her hands. “Ugggh, this is the worst.”

Max giggled at her friend’s hysterics. “Hey Tori.” she said, poking at the blonde. “C’mon it’s not that bad. Maybe it’s a little embarrassing, but look at the brightside.” Victoria peeked at Max through her fingers. “At the end of the day, we’re still friends, everything is chill, and now you get to brag about being super good friends with Captain to literally anyone you want.” 

Victoria sighed and sat up still pouting somewhat. “I guess” 

Max leaned over and gave her a small hug before sitting back “I mean. In the end would things really have been THAT different between us if you knew sooner?”

The blonde turned away red-faced and mumbled something that Max couldn’t hear.

“What’s up Tori?” Max said, leaning to try and look at the other girl.

Victoria exhaled a shaky breath before muttering to herself, “Fuck it, go for broke I guess” She turned to look Max in the eye and paused for a second before slowly answering, “I said… If I had known sooner I probably would have asked you out…”

Max sat there stunned for a moment before. “Oh…”

“Yeah”, she turned back away from the singer.

The brunette thought over Victoria’s admission. If she were being honest with herself she had been harboring a crush on her neighbor for a while now. _“Would it have been a good thing if she had known? If she asked me out back then would we have become as good of friends as we are now? Would she have been just another fan throwing themselves at me?”_ Collecting her thoughts she finally spoke after a minute. “I think… it’s a good thing you didn’t ask me out back then. I don’t think it would have worked out.”

Victoria scoffed, “Gee thanks Max, way to make a girl feel valued.”

Max turned to look at her. “That’s not what I mean Tori. If we had gotten together two or three years ago because you found out about me… It’s taken us this long to become as close as we are. Would you have actually enjoyed being with me for me back then? Or would you just just have been enamoured with me being a singer til the charm wore off and I was just this simple hipster girl?”

The taller girl let Max’s words sink in briefly before sighing. “I guess you’re probably right. I do actually enjoy being around you more now than I did back then. I like being friends with you Max… But...”

Max felt the entire weight of that “but” in her soul and her heart started beating fast in panic. _“But what? Is she upset at me for all the years of lies? Did I hurt her too much and she doesn't want to keep being friends?”_ She swallowed, her mouth suddenly felt very dry. “But?”

Victoria still hadn’t turned to look at her and Max saw her jaw clench before she opened her mouth to respond. “But… I want to be… more than friends with you…” Her statement hung in the air, thick with tension, for a moment. But before Max could form a reply, Victoria hurried out, “But it's not because of the band!”

Max cautiously continued. “Victoria?...”

“Max I…” The blonde turned to look at her, green eyes shining with potential tears. She seemed scared. “I like you… Like… YOU you. I have for like, fuck, months now.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I…” she looked down, not wanting to meet Max’s gaze. “Ugh. It’s stupid.”

Max looked at the girl in front of her. Victoria Chase, the very picture of confidence and grace on the outside but so fragile and filled with insecurity beneath the surface. She heard the more confident part of her mind telling her to speak up. _“Comfort her.”_ She reached out and laid her hand on top of Victoria’s causing her to look up into Max’s eyes. She spoke softly, “Hey Tori. I bet it’s not. Tell me.”

“I uh... “ She spoke, seeming strangely unsure of herself. “I’ve liked you for a while… I think. We’ve been really good friends. But at some point I think I started to fall for you. But I… I didn’t say anything about it because… Fuck, this sounds so dumb.” She sniffled and reached up with her cardigan sleeve to dab at her eyes before continuing. “I didn’t say anything because I have this stupid fangirl crush on a singer, and I thought it wouldn’t be fair to you to start something if I’m like, obsessed with someone else.”

Max smiled at her, squeezing her hand. “That’s really sweet of you Tori, that you cared enough to be considerate of all of that.”

She sniffled again and let out a slightly wet chuckle before joking “Yeah. Don’t tell anyone though. I’ve got a reputation and all that.”

“Uh huh.” Max grinned at her, this beautiful woman, that cared so much about Max’s feelings that she was willing to give up on a relationship. Trying to be somewhat coy, she spoke. “So what are you going to do? Now that you know that the object of your affections and the object of your obsessions is the same person.”

“I…” She swallowed, a little uncertain where Max was going with this. “I don’t know.”

“Well.” Max leaned in a little closer. “You know what I think?”

“No?” Victoria breathed

Max moved even closer, almost whispering as she looked deep into Victoria’s beautiful green eyes. “I think…. You should ask me out. Because I like you too Tori.”

Victoria’s breath hitched and she blushed slightly. “You do?”

“Yeah. I do.” The brunette looked up at her through her long eyelashes. “So what do you want to do about it?”

The blonde’s face was flushed and she seemed to be trying very hard to breathe and kept occasionally glancing down at Max’s lips. “I… Max… Do you want to date… me?”

Max smiled and reached her hand up to Victoria’s cheek whispering “Yes.” before leaning in to kiss her.

Victoria inhaled sharply before grabbing at Max’s hoodie and pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. After a minute she broke away to catch her breath, resting her forehead against Max’s. “This is like, the best day ever.” 

Max chuckled, swiping a thumb across Victoria’s cheek. “Yeah?”

Victoria smiled. “Yeah” She kissed Max again.

The singer felt her phone buzz and she looked down at the text message and groaned. 

The blonde looked confused “What’s wrong.”

Max just said “Chloe” before holding the phone up so Victoria could see the text.

**The Price is Right:** _Hey Super Max, if everything goes well congrats and all but don’t fuck Icky Vicky in my crib._

Victoria narrowed her eyes in annoyance before turning to look around the apartment. “Which door is Price’s bedroom?”

Max playfully smacked the girl’s shoulder. “Oh my DOG Tori!” She was about to say more when her phone buzzed again. “Chloe said some fans have already found my personal twitter apparently?” She closed the message and opened twitter before laughing and reading the first tweet aloud. “OMG Captain I’m your biggest fan! Are you single??”

Victoria scoffed in mock offense, “ExcUSE me, I believe _I_ am your biggest fan.” An idea seemed to strike her and she reached out and put a hand on Max’s phone. “Do you trust me?”

Max smiled at her. “Of course.”

Gently taking Max’s phone she said, “I have a crazy idea.” Opening the camera she slid closer and wrapped her arm around Max’s waist, before leaning forward and whispering “come here you.” Victoria kissed her deeply. Somewhere during the kiss Max was vaguely aware of the sound of a camera shutter and when Victoria pulled away she went to work typing something on Max’s phone. After she was done she handed the phone back and sat back with a smug smile.

Max grinned wide when she saw what Victoria had done. A simple reply tweet that said “Nope” with the attached selfie of her and Victoria kissing. Max laughed, “I love it.”She posted the reply before locking the phone and leaning up to give Victoria a quick kiss. “Come on.” she said, standing and offering her hand.

Victoria grabbed the hand and pulled herself up. “Where are we going?”

Max laced their fingers together and pulled the taller girl towards the door. “Let’s go get lunch to celebrate you dating a rockstar.”

Victoria laughed and allowed herself to be led out the door. Towards lunch and whatever else the future had for them.

**Author's Note:**

> <3


End file.
